This curious object was also found in a painting in the same room. There’s water in the clear tube, and curiously it’s at a different level on one side than the other.

FIVE hints:

Spoiler

There is only one hand on the clock. You’re being fooled by a shadow.

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Spoiler

The tubing around the golden sphere is important.

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Spoiler

A meta-analysis of posts on College of Curiosity could yield many more clues.

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Spoiler

The clock isn’t what makes is special.

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Spoiler

It is found in a Chamber of Wonders.

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What is it? Click for larger image.

THE ANSWER:

It is a replica of a perpetual motion machine.

Created in 2005 by Englishman Andrew Crisford, it is based of an original design by Cornelis Drebber, 16-17th century Dutch Inventor. This “non-working” model matches contemporary paintings of the objects, though there are conflicting reports of whether the original worked or not.

The laws of physics dictate that the original could not have truly been in perpetual motion, but it is possible that changes in air pressure or temperature could have added energy into the system allowing the clock and moon-phase indicator to function for longer than the winding mechanism would normally allow.